By Diana Colson
The Siesta Key Fitness Center is a family run business. It serves not only locals, it also provides over 25,000 visitor workouts annually. In their ten years of operation, owners Bruce and De Day have served some quarter-million fitness-minded tourists, enthusiasts delighted to find high-quality, state of the art equipment offered in a welcoming 7-day-a-week environment.
Despite this high level of interest, a substantial majority of accommodations on Siesta Key do not offer adequate on-site fitness facilities.
This can be construed as a mistake: in today’s world, a large percentage of people are committed to staying in shape. Indeed, according to TripAdvisor, fitness is the #1 amenity requested by vacationers when making holiday bookings. When hunting for accommodations, exercise-minded consumers want to hear only one thing: YES! The property being offered does indeed offer fitness.
With that in mind, the Siesta Key Fitness Center has launched an entirely new partner arrangement to help places of accommodation secure more bookings.
For a small weekly fee, hotels, condos, resorts, property management companies, and Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) listings may partner with Siesta Key Fitness Center, providing guests with a 50% discount on visitor passes. Property owners and managers are then free to advertise that they are listing partners with the only gym on the island, giving renters that valuable 50% discount.
The fitness-minded consumer does not expect free, he just wants to know that a facility is nearby and available at a reasonable cost. Offering discounted fitness serves to attract and retain more bookings.
The cost is surprisingly small. The average price of a weekly stay on Siesta Key is approximately $1,600. Based on the volume of units an owner or manager puts on the program, the cost of this program ranges from $3.75 to $5.75 per week per unit. As Bruce Day points out, if a property owner invests only $5.75 per week ($299 annually), and secures only one new booking a year as a result, the ROI is a staggering 542% – and that is from gaining only one new customer per year.
There is another substantial benefit for property owners. In addition to being able to advertise that they offer fitness on their own websites, all SKF partners receive both a listing and a link on www.SiestaKeyFitness.com. The website receives over 75,000 unique visits annually, visits coming from folks looking for fitness options on the island.
The partner fee should therefore be considered part of the property’s advertising Budget, not part of their amenity budget. This small expenditure puts the property in front of thousands of fitness minded consumers who make buying decisions based on fitness availability and access.
When people vacation on Siesta Key, they prefer to stay right on the island, a sentiment applauded by local shopkeepers and restaurants. As the only gym on the island, Siesta Key Fitness not only provides a much-needed service to residents and visitors, it helps keep dollars on Siesta instead of sending them off to the mainland. As icing on the cake, SKF charges less than mainland gyms for visitor passes.
The facility is impeccable and professional. Bruce Day holds a B.S. in Physical Education/Teacher Certification, as well as a B.S. in Physical Education/Sports Management. He has been the Owner/Operator of Fitness Centers for 31 years, and has had 32 years of Physical Therapy experience. His wife and business partner, De Day, holds a B.S. in Exercise Science/Physiology with a Minor in Sports Nutrition. She holds Certification in ACE & ACSM, and has had 18 years of industry experience. Other members of the SKF staff are equally well credentialed.
People want fitness: it’s important. If your accommodation does not have fitness, Siesta Key Fitness does. Located at 5243 Avenida Navarra (in the Village directly behind the Daiquiri Deck) SKF offers staffed hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. (Annual members have 24-hour access.)
Signing up for an Accommodations Partnership is both simple and quick! Call 941.349.8500 for more information.
Author: Siesta Sand